Crooked Smiles & Kiss Thieves
by TwiAddictAnne
Summary: Life wasn't a bed of roses. She had to learn it the hard way. And then … he came along, throwing crooked smiles on her way and stealing kisses. She didn't know how to resist this kiss thief; worse than that … she didn't know if she wanted to. Counterpart to Grant Me A Smile. All human. Rated for language and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **Hey guys! Remember how much you wanted to read the Bella's side of Grant Me A Smile? Well, here we are!** **The first four chapters were donated to the Fandom For Mental Health Awareness cause. I'm expanding the story and posting it here as a birthday pressie for none other than my dear sweet DataByteDL-FangirlinGranma Dee. Happy Birthday, Granma!**

* * *

 **Chapter-1: Prologue**

* * *

Life.

A sense of being.

A state of living.

The definition of life varies from person to person.

She isn't one of those philosophical type though.

No, the way she defines life is that it's difficult.

Living it has always been what she focused on.

And then he happened.

With one smile, he turned her world upside down.

He made her want to be alive.

He made her want to smile.

And she didn't know if she could resist him.

In her heart, she knew, she didn't want to.

* * *

 **A/N: It should be updated daily until we're done. So buckle those seatbelts, everyone.**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Don't forget to wish Granma Dee a very happy birthday. Love you, Granma.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	2. Chapter-2: The Opportune Moment

**A/N: Ready for another one?**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter-2: The Opportune Moment**

* * *

"Isabella, honey, come over here for a minute." Hearing the slutty stage manager, Victoria's venomous voice sounding sugary sweet, she stops in her tracks.

Closing her eyes, she curses the rotten day James had picked Victoria to be the manager. Then she lets the straps of her bag slip from her fingers before making her way toward where Victoria stands with a middle-aged man.

The man looks to be in his early forties. With the brushed back dirty blond hair and hazy gray eyes, he gives a vibe of danger, but his wardrobe of tailor-made suit and tie indicates that he's a businessman before anything else.

She watches as his eyes sweep over her from head to toe before a satisfied smile comes over his face. He doesn't speak to her, instead looks at Victoria and says, "Yes, she'll do perfectly."

Unable to take it anymore when they're clearly speaking of her, Isabella clears her throat. Only then does the man look back at her. With the smile still on his face, he holds a hand out to her. "Hello, Isa," he greets. "I'm Royce King."

Isabella eyes his hand and then without reaching for it, replies, "My name is Isabella."

He looks at her as if she has lost her mind. "I know, and I'm _the_ Royce King."

Shaking her head, she says, "It didn't seem like you knew my name. You called me Isa. And adding a _the_ before your name doesn't make it unique, you know?"

The man, Royce King, stares at her in disbelief as Victoria gives a nervous chuckle. "She's got a sharp tongue on her, Mr. King," she says, wrapping an arm around Isabella. Leaning her head down, she whispers in her ear, "Stop tongue wagging. He's a big time movie producer and he's interested in your work. So do yourself a favor and shut up."

Isabella shakes her hand off and narrows her eyes at Victoria. "What do you mean interested in my work?"

It's Royce who answers her. "Ah you see, Isa," he starts. "I am about to start on a new movie and my lead actress just quit. So I need a new replacement, and quickly."

Taken aback by the sudden opportunity, Isabella asks, "Don't I have to audition?"

"No, no, there's not enough time for auditions," he answers shaking his head. "I saw your play this evening. You are perfect for the job. Hell, you even have the right hair color."

She can't rein in her curiosity and asks again, "Why did she quit? Your lead actress?"

"Because that dumb bimbo has lost her mind," he says before looking at her closely. "You don't mix work with your personal life, do you? That's where she went wrong."

"No," she replies quickly. "My professional and personal lives are very separate."

He makes a sound of satisfaction and beams at Victoria. "You were right then. She will be perfect." Turning to Isabella, he adds, "I'll have the contract sent over at your house tonight. Go through it carefully and then sign. Isa Swan, you are going to be the next Rose Hale."

Isabella waits until Royce is out of the theatre before cornering Victoria. "Thanks, Victoria," she says quietly. "Although I still don't know why you did that for me."

Victoria waves a hand to point out to their shabby dressing room. "You are meant for better things, Isabella, and I didn't want you to rot in here."

"You also didn't want me around James," Isabella states in a softer voice. When Victoria doesn't deny her allegations, she smiles. "I would've never looked at James, you know? But thank you anyway. You have given me an opportunity for a better life."

At home, Isabella sits on her couch and reads through the contract several times, making sure that she wasn't signing up for something she doesn't want. Then seizing the moment of opportunity, she writes down her name on the dotted line.

* * *

 **A/N: So … thoughts?**

 **Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Granma Dee, I love you.**

 **And you, my sweet readers, rock.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	3. Chapter-3: Sullen Meets Cullen

**A/N: Time to meet some new people. ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter-3: Sullen Meets Cullen**

* * *

Standing before the mirror in her bedroom, Isabella tries to fashion her hair, knotting it this way and then that before giving up altogether and brushing it through so that it falls in waves along her shoulders.

As she starts to pull on her dress, she feels the barely visible scar on her thigh. Quickly, she pulls on her skirt as if it would hide the hurt caused by the scar. However, her heart still hurts because the impact of the scar is not just skin deep.

After giving herself a once over for the last time, she nods her head in satisfaction. _It's a new day_ , Isabella, she tells herself. _No one knows you there. You will do fine. You can do this. This is just a new job._

* * *

Getting to the address Royce had given her, she is greeted by an overly excited blonde woman who introduces herself as Lauren Mallory, PA to the producer.

When Isabella simply nods her head at her in acknowledgement, she sees the other woman's eyebrows pull together in a frown. She fears that she must've come across as unfriendly, but then she feels her resolve strengthen. _You're here to work_ , she tells herself. _Not to make friends._

So when Lauren leaves her to get her makeup and hair done, all she manages to say to the woman is a quiet thanks before letting her mind go through the script Royce had sent her the day before.

This is a new opportunity and she's going to do her best to make it work for her.

* * *

Once the makeup artist announces her to be a picture of perfection, she thanks her and walks out of the makeup room only to be met by Lauren again.

"Ms. Swan," she says, sounding more reserved than before. "Mr. King would like for you to meet him before the camera starts rolling."

"Okay," she responds and starts to make her way to the direction Lauren pointed to her.

Just as she reaches the open door to what she presumes is Royce's room, she runs into a solid wall, smacking her head on it.

"Ow!"

"Oomph!"

With her eyes closed to block out the impact, she feels a pair of arms wrap around her before pulling her away. And that's when she realizes that it's a person she just ran into, not a wall.

As she opens her eyes and looks up at the owner of the arms currently holding her, she feels her breath catch in her throat. A mop of chaotic bronze colored hair and bright green eyes greet her in welcome, making her heart beat pick up.

For a moment, all she can do is stare back at the depth of those eyes as they look at her with a mixture of concern and what seems like awe. Until …

"Ah! Isa, you're here!"

The sound of Royce's voice jolts her back from the train of thoughts and she lets her eyes fleet away toward the producer.

Gently, she pushes away from the green-eyed man. Trying not to sound impolite, she responds in a soft voice, "It's Isabella, Mr. King. And you said to be here now, so I'm here."

A smile comes over Royce's face and he nods contentedly. "See, Cullen?" He addresses the other man. "What did I tell you? She's a professional, total opposite of Rosalie."

That's when she recognizes the man in front of her as the award-winning actor, Edward Cullen.

Edward doesn't seem to bother to answer Royce as he faces her fully and holds a hand out for her to shake. "Hi, I'm Edward Cullen," he says, a smile coming over his full lips.

She tries not to notice how one corner of his lips rise a little higher than the other making his smile look a little crooked and that much enticing as she lets her eyes fall on his outstretched hand. "I know," she murmurs after a moment of silence before turning her eyes on Royce. "Are we ready for the shoot?"

She hears rather than see Royce laugh at her question before he answers, "Ready when you are, Cullen." He walks up to them and slaps Edward on the back before leading Isabella toward the center of the room where the lighting is being checked.

After taking a few steps away from him, Isabella tilts her head to the side and looks at Edward from the corner of her eyes. The way his smile falls makes her want to go to him, but she steels her resolve and walks away.

* * *

All through the shoot, she feels his eyes follow her.

She tries to stay in her own little bubble without trying to be rude to the people surrounding her and does what she does best—she acts.

By the time the day rolls to an end, she feels exhausted, but overall pleased with her work. That is until she hears Lauren whispering rather loudly to a stage-hand as she walks past them, "A ray of fucking sunshine, that one."

She lets the insult slip as she walks away.

Just before getting inside the taxi awaiting her, she looks up and finds her gaze locked on the intense green ones of Edward's. She watches as his lips turn upward in a smile. Letting out a small sigh, she ducks her head into the car.

As she drives away from the studio, she knows she will have to guard her heart closely because the man with green eyes was already starting to take over her thoughts.

* * *

 **A/N: So … thoughts?**

 **Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **And Granma, you know I love you, right? :)**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	4. Chapter-4: A Friend In Need

**A/N: Ready for more?**

* * *

 **Chapter-4: A Friend In Need**

* * *

For the next week, Isabella feels like a good little soldier. She goes to shoots on time and leaves when they are done for the day. Like always, she keeps her head down, not talking to anyone unless absolutely necessary.

She knows people are whispering about her behind her back, but as long as they leave her in peace, she doesn't let herself feel bothered by them.

Then, one week after the start of production, things change.

"Lunch break, people! We resume in half an hour," Peter, the director of the movie, calls out to the production crew at large as the bright lights are turned off.

With a sigh of relief from the blinding lights, Isabella goes to a corner of the set to check her messages, wondering whether James had finally paid her dues for the last show she did for them. She doesn't get a chance to get her phone out though. Just as she reaches for her phone, she senses someone step behind her.

"Ms. Isa," a voice says from behind her, sounding more leery than friendly.

Isabella turns around to face the owner of the voice and comes face to face with Mike Newton, one of the extra actors for the movie. "Yes?" she answers civilly, not caring enough to correct her name.

She forces herself to stay calm when he steps closer to her, not allowing herself to compare him to Jacob. _No, nothing will happen,_ she tells herself. _You'll be fine. You're not alone here._ Gritting her teeth she asks the man, "What is it?"

Mike smiles, showing her a row of yellowish teeth. "The fellows over there think you're mute. I want to help you prove them wrong," he says, pointing toward the people he usually hung out with … standing a few steps behind him.

"Help me?" Isabella asks, looking around to see if there was anyone who might actually help her. Her eyes fall on Edward Cullen and Jasper Whitlock. For a moment, she wishes she had not pushed him away when he had offered his friendship on the first day.

Unaware of her thoughts, Mike answers her, "By letting me bang you. When you're screaming my name, no one will think you're mute." His words make bile rise to her throat.

She looks at the vile man in shock. "That is very inappropriate," she tells him, which makes him and all his cronies guffaw loudly.

He steps closer still, forcing her to step back until her back is pressed against the wall. "Come on, Ms. Isa," he says. "Don't be shy."

She closes her eyes and tries to block him out along with the memories from her past that chases after her.

In some distance, she hears someone call out, "What the hell is happening there?" She opens her eyes and finds the dreadful creature before her looking at the source of the sound. Seizing the opportunity, she pushes against his chest and tries to get away from him.

She watches his hand reach for her again and prepares to defend herself. She shuts off all sounds around her and closes her eyes, recalling all the self defense she had taught herself after the incident. Then, with her eyes still closed, she raises a hand and lands a hard slap on his face.

When her ears are met with silence, she grinds out, letting her anger lead her for once. "I told you to leave me alone. Why can't you people just let me be?"

Breathing hard as the adrenaline rushes through her system, she finally opens her eyes only to find them captured by bright green ones. Edward Cullen.

One look at his awestruck expression and his hand clutching his cheek tells her all she needs to know. She takes in how his hand holds a fistful of Mike's shirt and mortification makes her avert her gaze. He was trying to help her, and she slapped him! "Shit! I'm … sorry," she whispers, begging Edward with her eyes to forgive her before running away ... from him and everyone else.

* * *

She runs, playing the scene over and over in her head, telling herself that she is safe. It doesn't help. She finds herself going toward Edward's dressing room instead of her own. She chalks it up to her need to apologize to him again, not her heart's desire for a safe harbor.

Standing with her back pressed against the door to Edward's dressing room, she lets her head fall back, trying to catch her breath while willing the nightmares away.

She senses someone stand beside her, but pretends to be alone anyway. Until a now familiar voice says lightly, "I admit, Isabella Swan, you can slap pretty hard."

Her eyes pop open at the sound of his voice. Holding her breath, she slowly turns her head to look at the man standing next to her. She opens her mouth, probably to apologize again, but nothing comes out.

He seems to know exactly what she's going through because instead of walking away from her, he turns his face toward her and smiles. "Hi," he says, no sign of anger or hurt in his voice.

The sound of his voice and that breathtakingly perfect smile makes her breathing pick her as she lets her eyes search his face for any kind of falsity.

As if taking her silence as his cue to keep talking, he says, "So I'm Edward Cullen." He points to his chest to stress his words. "I guess you know that already, but since you haven't said a word to me this long week we've been working together, I figured that I might as well introduce myself."

His words make her lower her eyes, reminding her of their first encounter yet again. In a soft voice, she responds, "I know who you are."

He lets out a gasp, giving her a wide-eyed gaze. "You do?" he asks. "Shh … don't tell anyone that I'm a vampire."

She frowns at him, wondering why he's being so nice to her.

He holds his hands up in a manner of surrender. "I was just joking. I'm not Dracula. So don't go Buffy on my ass," he says, his smile making the sides of his eyes crinkle a little.

She doesn't say anything in response, trying to stay aloof as always. After a moment, she lowers her eyes and says in a quiet voice, "I'm really sorry for slapping you. It wasn't meant for you."

Even with her eyes cast downwards, she hears the smile in his voice. "Thank you for the clarification," he says. "I do have to punish you for that though."

She feels her body go stiff at his words as she looks up at him, her mouth slightly open in shock. Her expression makes him chuckle. "You have to accept my horrible company as a friend … at least for the length of our shooting this movie."

 _He wants to be friends?_

 _Why does he want to be friends with me?_

Thoughts run haywire in her mind before she manages to shake her head. "I'm here to work," she tells him. "I do not need friends."

She watches his smile drop a little before reappearing on his face as he reaches into his pocket and holds out a piece of paper to her.

She doesn't reach for his proffered paper though. Eyeing it suspiciously, she asks, "What's that?"

"Something that won't bite you, and funnily enough, it has my number on it … if you feel like you need a friend."

She starts to shake her head again, getting ready to tell him that she'll never need a friend. But before she can say the words, he pushes what appears to be his business card toward her little more.

With a resigned sigh, she accepts the card from him, making him grin. "Thank you," he says.

She starts to slowly move away from him. "I'm sorry," she says once again before turning and walking away from him.

Edward Cullen makes her feel safe. He makes her want to trust him.

The question is, can she trust him? Will she?

* * *

 **A/N: Should she? What do you think? Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **To Granma Dee, I hope you're enjoying this ride. Love you.**

 **Take care, guys.**

 **Ann**


	5. Chapter-5: Knight Among The Shelves

**A/N: Sorry this is late. But I hope you have a happy thanksgiving!**

* * *

 **Chapter-5: Knight Among The Shelves**

* * *

With a frustrated sigh, Isabella drops the book she has been trying to read for the past hour onto the coffee table. No matter how exciting the adventures in the book, even Jules Vern couldn't get her mind away from the bright green eyes that has been haunting her thoughts lately.

Like most days since she has met him, one thought circles her mind. _Why me? Why is he so_ good _to me?_

After losing her father to a stray bullet shot by some lowlife thug when she was in college, and then with her mother falling ill, Isabella has never known anyone to act like Edward Cullen did. _It's as if he cares for me,_ she thinks.

Of its own volition, comes the words spoken by a voice that haunts her nightmares even now. _I care for you, Bells._

 _Stop pushing me away. I'm the only one who'll ever want you._

 _You fucking slut! How dare you …_

Placing her hands on her ears, Isabella cries out to drown out the sounds. "No, no, no," she keeps murmuring to herself. "He's gone. I'm okay. I'm okay."

She slowly pushes the business card that has been lying next to her book inside her purse where it would stay out of her sight.

* * *

It's late evening when Isabella decides that she has had enough of the solidarity of her home and sets out to pay a visit to her mother in the hospital before the work week starts for her.

At the hospital, Reneé Swan lays in her bed, staring blankly at the wall facing her bed and not paying any heed to her daughter. That doesn't deter Isabella though. Like always, she tells her mother about every little thing happening in her life, not letting her tears fall even though they wouldn't register in her mother's mind.

It's when she steps out of the Mental Healthcare Center to breathe in the salty humid air of Los Angeles, she allows her tears to fall. There, standing underneath the star-studded sky, she feels utterly lonely. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tries to fend off the chill of the night as she waits in line at the bus stop.

Before the bus could come, however, she feels people looking and pointing at her. For a moment, she's bewildered by the sudden attention before realizing that the cast of the new movie was announced the day before on the newspapers along with brightly colored pictures of Edward and herself.

She feels her skin prickle from all the staring eyes and decides to get a taxi instead of waiting around. She barely puts her hand up before a taxi comes to a stop before her. Gratefully, she ducks into the taxi and gives the taxi driver directions to a her home.

However, when he drops her off, she finds the door to her place utterly uninviting. She craves company something her home didn't hold. So instead of going in, she decides to walk to a place she always finds solace in—a quaint little bookstore half a block away.

The tinkling sound of the little bell set on top of the store feels like being welcomed back home. Isabella lifts her face and inhales deeply, letting the scent of new books flood her senses. It's when she turns to close the door that she notices it.

A shadow.

Lurking from the building across from the bookstore. She can't make out the face hidden in the shadows, but the shiny gleam of something metallic reaches her.

 _It's him_ , she realizes by looking at the camera, the palms of her hands getting sweaty all of a sudden. Everything she has heard about the stalkerish bordering on violent behaviors of some creeps she's read about hits her like a brick wall. She glances at the elderly storekeeper and realizes that if the man on the other side of the road came charging in for her, the frail old man would never be able to protect her.

She takes a few steps into the store, hoping that would make the guy leave, but instead, her stalker takes a step forward, as if not willing to let her out of his sight. In the dim light from the streetlamps, she recognizes the bearded face she sees. She has seen him before, she realizes with a surety… around the movie set.

 _Shit!_ Cursing under her breath, she tries to walk as inconspicuously as possible to the back of the store before finding herself a quiet niche between shelves to hide among. For a moment, she hopes that hiding out here will make the man go away until she realizes that it's nearly closing time for the store and once the store closes, she'll have no other option than to walk out there … alone.

For the first time in years, her loneliness scares her.

For the first time, she craves real arms of a person around her instead of dry pages of a book.

For the first time, she wishes she had a friend.

" … _if you feel like you need a friend ..._ " a voice seems to whisper in her ears.

One single thought is all she allows herself before pulling out her cell phone and then fishing out the piece of paper she so carelessly tossed in her purse just hours before. She doesn't let her brain stop her before dialing the number written on the paper.

The phone rings … once … twice … once more … and she fears it'll go to voicemail. Just as she's preparing to hang up, however, someone picks it up and a voice calls from the other side, "Hello?"

For a moment, all she manages to do is breath to calm herself down. The sound of his familiar voice in her ear helps more than she expected. Finally, when she could trust herself to speak, she whispered, "Edward?"

"Isabella? Hey. How are you doing?" he greets her. From the sound of his voice, she can tell he's smiling.

A small bit of hesitation slips into her heart, making her wonder whether she should tell him about it but then she remembers how kind he has been to her and decides to take a leap of faith. "Um … hi," she says back, her voice coming out shaky.

As if he could sense something in her voice, he asks, "Isabella, are you okay?" his voice filled with something that sounded a lot like … concern.

Her instincts tell her to shut him out like the rest of the world, but she decides to ignore her head for a moment. Instead of hanging up on him like her brain keeps telling her to, she says, "Can you help me, please? I didn't know who to call ..."

Her voice breaks at the last word and he seems to detect that little change in her tone because he sounds very much in control of himself when he saying something she hadn't heard in a long time. "I'm here, Isabella. Can you tell me where you are?"

She barely manages to give him the address to the store before he tells her that he's on his way to her and hangs up.

* * *

Eighteen minutes.

Eighteen excruciatingly long minutes later, the doorbell jingles again, announcing the entrance of a new customer. Isabella's first thought is that it's the stalker and she slides down to the ground, hiding herself completely behind the shelves, with her hands covering her face.

It's not until she hears a voice call out softly, "Isabella? It's Edward," that she lifts her face, her heart filling with hope for a change. One glimpse of shiny bronze colored locks and and she's running … out from behind the stacks and into his arms.

She hugs him tightly, hiding her face in his chest and cautiously breathing in the cinnamon and sunshine smell she has come to associate with Edward. She feels his arms pull her closer and a hand starts to rub her back soothingly. The simple gesture of comfort is what makes her demeanor to crack and a sniffle escapes her.

"Isabella?" he calls her name softly. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

She lifts her face from his chest to look into his eyes and something seems to shift in him. He takes her chin between his thumb and forefinger tenderly and urges her, "Tell me, please."

As if his words has broken a dam inside of her, she starts speaking. "There's a man outside. I've seen him follow me from the set everyday in the last week," she tells him, her voice barely a whisper. "Today, I came to this bookstore and saw him standing there. He's still out there. I just … I didn't know who to call."

"Shh ..." he whispers back to her, rubbing his hand up and down her back to calm her down. "I'm here. I'm here," he keeps saying over and over.

He looks out the window and then asks quietly, "Do you know him?"

With her head still tucked under his chin, she shakes her head. "No, I don't _know_ him. When I worked at the Broadway, thought, I think I've seen him there. He'd be there to watch my plays, but I've never thought more of it. Now though ..." she trails off, wanting to pour her heart out to him, but not wanting to seem weak too.

He pulls back to look into her face and prompts, "Now what, Isabella?"

She hates the tremble in her voice as she answers him. "Now, he's been following me every day. Most days, he leaves after I leave the set; but not today. Today he tailed me here even though I had the day off. And I ..."

"Hey," he calls, nudging her chin with his fingers a little. When she lifts her head to look at him, he smiles softly at her. "I'm glad you called me. I've got you."

Then before she can protest, he takes one of her hands in his and places his other hand on the doorknob. She tightens her hand on his, her panic resurfacing again. "What if he's still there?" she asks, hating how anxiety seeps into her tone.

He gives her hand a light squeeze. "Then we'll get rid of him," he says simply before opening the door and stepping out, pulling her with him,

Isabella closes her eyes tightly, not wanting to look at her stalker and after taking in a ragged breath, she asks, "Is he g-gone?"

"No ..." Edward's voice says quietly before letting a silence fall around them. For a moment, Isabella wonders what happened to make him stop talking and then, she feels his hands on her face, holding it, cupping it between his palms. Then, soft as the flutter of a butterfly's wings, she feels lips brush to her forehead.

Isabella's eyes flutter open at the suddenness of the action. A myriad of questions flooding her mind as she stares at him, forgetting her stalker for the moment.

She watches as Edward's head leans down, his lips getting closer to hers by the second. As if out of their own volition, her eyes close again and her head moves to the side, tilting it up toward him.

One more moment passes before she feels his lips on hers … kissing her for the first time.

Her sharp intake of breath seems to echo around them, the evening star standing witness to their kiss.

* * *

 **A/N: Thoughts? Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Granma Dee, hope you're enjoying your Turkey-day with a side of crooked smiles. Love you!**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	6. Chapter-6: Kiss Thief

**A/N: How did your Thanksgiving go, everyone? I hope you all enjoyed the holiday! Now back to our Kiss Thief. ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter-6: Kiss Thief**

* * *

For the first few moments … before her brain could play catch up to what was happening, Isabella feels her lips kissing him back. For a moment, all she can do is revel in the smoothness of his lips … the taste of his lips. And then, her brain catches up to her.

 _Shit! What are you doing?_ A voice seems to screech at her inside her head.

She pulls her head back, breaking their kiss and then tries to catch her breath, blinking in what probably looked a dazed manner. When she's sure she can speak again, she asks in a hoarse voice, "Why … why did you do that?"

He looks over to where the dark figure was standing and says with a shrug, "To make him realize that he doesn't have a chance when it comes to you."

A very small part of her heart chips away at his response that it was all for a show.

 _Stupid stupid Isabella,_ she admonishes herself. _What did you think? Someone like_ him _will actually like_ you _?_

Pushing that chipped piece of her heart away, she asks in a soft voice, "You couldn't think of any other way for doing that?"

A smile comes over his face … slightly crooked at one corner of his mouth. "Well ..." he says with a smirk. "I guess I could've hugged you or simply thrown you over my shoulder like a Neanderthal and run away."

She feels her eyebrows pull together in a frown. _What does he mean?_ "What?" she asks at last.

He rolls his eyes and lets out a dramatic huff. "Fine. Then I guess I'll just have to come out and say it."

"Say what?" she asks, utterly baffled.

He takes a step close to her before reaching out to take her chin in his hand, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I kissed you ..." he says, making her breath hitch slightly. "... because I wanted to. Is that okay, Miss Swan?"

She feels her cheeks heat up at his declaration … at the blatant openness of it. For a moment, she closes her eyes and relishes his touch on her skin as his hand skims down to take hers, entwining their fingers together. Then he places one more feather light kiss on her lips, making her heart whole again.

After he walks her home that night, she finds herself slipping into a deep sleep … a peaceful and nightmare-free sleep for a change.

* * *

The day after, she's sitting in her own little corner on the set, going through her lines when she feels his eyes on her. For once, she doesn't feel threatened by feeling watched; instead she looks up from her notes and lets her eyes find his. The goofy grin he offers her doesn't fail to make her blush.

The way he looks at her makes her feel like the only girl in the room. She can't help but feel like they're inside their own little bubble, tucked away from the rest of the world. The bubble bursts soon enough, however, by the piercing voice of her make up artist, Jessica Stanley. "Isabella, come on! We need to get you fixed up for the next scene," she hollers from Isabella's dressing room.

With one last look at him, Isabella slips back into the room, her mind still full of the tenderness he sparked in her the night before.

Isabella's high doesn't last for long though. While sitting on the chair with Jessica flittering around her, parting her hair and putting it in an intricate hairdo, Isabella looks around the room. She takes in the customary glass of lemonade kept on her dresser as per request from her predecessor, Rosalie Hale, next to the morning newspaper.

Since she's not thirsty, she picks the newspaper up, planning on passing the time Jessica needed to work on her hair and makeup. However, one look at the front page and she slams it shut, her eyes tightly closed.

As if she knows what made Isabella act like that, Jessica pipes up from behind her, "It's a good picture. Although, I'm not a fan of the headline."

Slowly, Isabella opens her eyes before pulling open the newspaper again. There, right on the front page is a colored photograph of herself with Edward—locked in an embrace. As if it's not enough, the headline read, "The Cullen Stairway to Stardom: Hollywood heartthrob actor and philanthropist, Edward Cullen, takes his new co-actress on for the ride."

Isabella feels her eyes well up with tears … of shame and what must be heartbreak. _Is that why he kissed me?_ She wonders.

All her old insecurities resurface then in the echo of a voice she's tried all her life to forget. " _You are just a charity case. I'm going to fuck you because I pity you. That's what you deserve … pity, not love. You'll never be loved."_

Something inside her seems to snap at the sound of the voice in her head. She raises a hand to make Jessica stop and gets up from her chair.

"But I'm not done ..." Jessica's complain dies in her throat after just one glance at Isabella's face.

Instead of acknowledging the woman, Isabella comes to stand at the door of the dressing room, her eyes scanning the crowd for bronze-tinged hair. As if he could feel her eyes on him, he turns around, a smile already on his face.

Purposefully, she walks toward him, her hands balled into fists by her sides. When she reaches him, he opens his mouth. "Hey ..." he starts. Before he can say anything else, however, Isabella raises a hand and brings it down forcefully, slapping him hard.

* * *

 **A/N: Hang in there, guys. It's a HEA, I promise.**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **This Thanksgiving, I was thankful for all of you, my lovely readers, and of course for having an awesome Granma. ;)**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	7. Chapter-7: The Wall

**A/N: Everybody ready for a long chapter? Grab a box of tissue paper … just to be safe. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter-7: The Wall**

* * *

"Why?" That's all she manages to utter in a broken whisper before the gravity of her sudden actions dawn on her. Did I really just let my anger blow up like that? She wonders. One look at the blotchy red mark on his cheek is all it takes to tell her that it isn't a horrible nightmare.

With a gasp, she starts running, disregarding the audience around them; her mind solely focused on getting away from him before the tears stinging her eyes made an appearance.

Apparently, Edward Cullen wasn't having any of that.

"Stop!" he calls after her, his feet moving fast to trace her steps. She runs faster, willing her feet to take her far away from there. She's not so fortunate though. He manages to catch up to her just as she's stepped out of the studio and into the streets basked in the hue of quickly approaching twilight.

"Damn it! Will you stop?" His voice is full of frustration as his hand closes around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

He sounds out of breath as he asks, "Will you at least tell me what I did?"

She feels the walls she has always kept around her chip away at the sound of resignation in his voice. Desperate to get her wall back in place, she lashes out without daring to look at him, her voice sounding harsher than ever. "You didn't do anything. It's just me," she says, trying to be nonchalant.

Her answer seems to ignite a fire in his eyes. He tugs on her hand, making her whirl around to face him. When he speaks, his words prickle her with the force of thousand needles. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're giving me the universal break-up line when I haven't even had the chance to take you out on a date yet? What the hell is your problem?"

Anger … white hot anger courses through her veins as she pulls her hand out of his, snatching it away from him. "I'll tell you what you did," she hears herself tell him, her anger matching his. "You fucking kissed me! That's what you did, Edward Cullen."

"What?" For a moment, he looks a cross between confused and angry before the anger in his eyes seems to win. " _That's_ your problem? Well you didn't seem to mind my disgusting lips so much last night, Ms. Swan!" he snaps, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

 _More_ , a voice says in her head. _Make him hate you. Push him away before you hurt him. Don't pull him into your darkness._

That little voice so deceptively like _his_ , makes her lash out at Edward. "That's because I didn't know there were paps out there to grab the scoop!" she snaps back at him. "Our photos are plastered on every gossip magazine this morning."

A sudden thought occurs to her then. _What if he was in on it? What if it was just a publicity stunt?_

Narrowing her eyes at him, she asks, "Is that why you kissed me the second time? Because the first snaps might have been too hazy? Did they pay you to do that?"

Even though her rational mind tells her that Edward couldn't have had anything to do with this, she keeps hitting the nail harder, determined to build her walls back up again so that she'll be safe behind it. She takes a deep breath before speaking again. "You are a famous actor, Edward. This all might be fun and games for you, but not for me. Your little stunt just ruined everything."

"Stunt? Stunt?" he repeats, his voice full of shock and disbelief. "Isabella, if you think I would do anything to hurt you in any way, you really don't know much of the world," he says, words spilling out of him as if a dam has burst. "Do you think I would rush to in the middle of nowhere for just anyone? Do you think I make a habit of going around and kissing girls? No! I went to you because I like you, damn it! I kissed you because I wanted to."

Her breath catches in her throat as his words prod at the wall she has created around her, looking for a spot of weakness to get her to _believe_. A wistful look comes over his face as he closes his eyes and sighs deeply. "God! How I've wanted to kiss you since the first time I saw you, Isabella," he says, without opening his eyes.

That look on his face seems to be her weakness. She feels her heart break at that sight. "Edward ..." she calls his name pleadingly. "Don't do this please."

He opens his eyes at her words. Tilting his head to the side to meet her eyes, he asks in a quiet tone, "Do what, exactly?"

 _You're not making this easy,_ she wants to tell him. _I'm not good for you,_ her battered her heart wants to whisper. Instead, she motions between them and says, "This. Don't … _be_ here. You shouldn't be friends with me."

"Why?"

Even though she should have expected him to ask that, the question still manages to throw her off. _Don't fight him_ , a voice very much like her mother's whispers in her head then. _Let him in._ Shaking her head and wishing she could shake away all her fears and misgivings too, she answers, "Because I've got scars that can't be healed, and I don't want anyone to see them."

"Am I just anyone to you?"

The question, asked in a voice so full of helplessness and the man asking it, makes her waver, For a moment, she stops breathing at the sight of utter honesty she detects in his eyes. _He deserves the same in return,_ she realizes. So instead of lying through her teeth, she says honestly, "No, you're not. That's the reason I don't want you to get hurt, Edward. And if you stay with me, you'll only get hurt. I know it. I'm bad for you."

The feeling of something hot running down her cheek is what tells her that the teardrops she had tried so hard to keep at bay has spilled over by the time her rant is over. The sight of her tears seems to snap him out of his thoughts. She watches as he raises a hand, cautiously approaching her as if she was a wounded animal, he lightly taps on her chin, prompting her to look up at him.

When their eyes meet, she looks right into his piercing green gaze, searching for a hint of judgement … a sign of pity … anything to keep her walls up, but she doesn't see those. What she sees is compassion and understanding and a feeling washes over her as she looks at him … a feeling of rightness.

He reaches to place a hand on her cheek, making her flinch a little by his sudden closeness. For a moment, she wonders if her reaction will make him run for the hills, but then his hand is touching the dimple on her cheek, cupping it with something that feels like reverence. "Hey," he whispers to her. "Look at me please."

She can't help but comply and meet his eyes again. When their eyes meet, he says, "You say that you're scarred, but Bella, when I look at you, I don't see any scars; I just see an incredibly beautiful girl whose inside is just as beautiful as the outside. You are so perfect."

 _Bella?_

The sound of another woman's name on his tongue sends a sting of completely irrational jealousy through her. Her eyebrows pull together in a frown as she asks, "Who's Bella?"

That brings the smile he always wears back on his lips. He taps the tip of her nose playfully and replies, "You are, pretty girl. Bella means beautiful, and you are my beautiful Bella."

In the fleeting rays of sunlight, she watches herself through his eyes, and for the first time in what seems to be forever, she _feels_ beautiful because of the way he looks at her.

Slowly, he leans down, bringing their faces so close that their lips are almost touching and then, he whispers, "Besides, I don't want to be your friend, beautiful Bella," he whispers in her ear. "I want to be your first crush, your first blush, and maybe someday …your first love. Will you let me?"

With each word he speaks, the wall around her gets splintered until it crumbles into nothingness at his question. Her tears run freely then, as she decides to let him in … into her life and into her heart.

Seeing her tears, however, he seems to get worried. "Shit!" he curses before taking her face in his hands and dashing away at her tears. "Bella, I'm sorry. Forgive me if I embarrassed you. I never wanted to make you feel bad …"

Trusting her heart to guide her to where she's meant to be, she moves forward and cuts off his rambling apology with a kiss. Right before their lips touch, she whispers, "I will."

For the next few moments, time seems to stand still as they kiss; their lips speaking the words their hearts know, but are too early to be spoken out loud. When their lips separate to allow them to breathe, he says in a breathless whisper, "We're out in the open, baby. What if some other pap sees us?"

She looks into his worried eyes and all she sees is sweetness and adoration for her. That makes her lips pull up in a bright smile. "Let them," she says bravely before pulling his lips back on hers.

When she feels his lips smile against hers, she knows for sure.

She knows that Edward Cullen just gave her her smile back.

* * *

 **A/N: So … thoughts?**

 **Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **One more chapter and then the epilogue is left.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Granma, hope you're enjoying your little pressie.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	8. Chapter-8: Healing Touch

**A/N: This is it, people. The disclosure you've been waiting for. I'm issuing a trigger warning for this chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter-8: Healing Touch**

* * *

 _The incessant knock on the door wakes her up from her afternoon nap. "I'm coming! I'm coming! Sheesh!" she grumbles as she opens the door to reveal none other than her father's best friend, Jacob Black. "Uncle Jake!" she greets the man with graying black hair. "How are you?"_

" _I'm fine, Bells," Jacob replies, stepping into the house and closing the door behind him. "You and your mom doing okay?"_

 _Isabella bites her lip, trying to contain the tears that threaten to spill over at the thought of life without her recently deceased father. "Uh huh," is all she manages to say._

" _Good, good." Jacob takes off his jacket and lays it on the couch behind her. Looking at her, he asks, "Where's Reneé at?"_

" _At the ballet academy," she answers. "She's not been keeping well lately, but I know being there makes her happy so I couldn't ask her to stay in."_

 _Jacob nods. "It's good that she's doing what she enjoys." He takes a seat and pats next to him, asking her to follow his suit. When she does, he reaches over to take one of her hands. "Bells, I wanted to tell you something."_

 _Startled by his sudden actions, she blinks. "What?"_

 _For a few seconds, he doesn't speak. Then he reaches to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, his touch suddenly making her feel uncomfortable. "Uncle Jake, what are you …?"_

" _Shh ..." he shushes her, placing a finger on her lips then he uses the finger to trace them, making her skin crawl. "You've grown up into a beautiful woman, Bells," he says softly. "A very desirable woman."_

 _The sound of her sharp intake of breath seems to make him smile. He caresses her cheek and says, "I want you, Bells. I care for you."_

 _His touch makes her snap out of shock and she jumps up from her seat on the couch. "You're out of your mind!" she finally manages to say. "I think you should leave."_

 _He stands up then, standing so close to her that she can smell the stench of alcohol in his breath. "Don't push me away," he tells her. "No one will ever want you. Look at you. You're an orphan … a college dropout with a mother who can't go two minutes without bawling her eyes out. If you choose me, I'll take care of you. I'll make sure that you never want for anything."_

 _Slowly, he leans down, bringing his lips close to hers. Turning her head away from him, she pushes against his chest … hard. "Get away from me, you disgusting pig," she screams, her shove making him fall down._

 _That seems to make him angry. "You fucking bitch!" he roars, scrambling back up and grabbing her by the neck. She feels his hand pressing down on her windpipe, trying to choke the life out of her. "If you won't give it to me, I'll fucking take it," he spat in her face, his other hand busy hiking up her skirt._

" _No! No … no … please ..." her voice is a mangled cry as she tries to defend herself._

 _His ring catches on the fabric of her skirt and when he pulls hard to free his hand, the metal gashes across her thigh, sending a searing pain through her body._

God please _, she prays, closing her eyes._ Save me from this monster.

* * *

She wakes up in cold sweat, her pillow soaked with tears. Placing her hand over her racing heart, she tries to reassure herself that she's safe, but it doesn't work. The memories too vivid … too painful to be erased that easily.

"Bella? Baby?" The whisper-soft voice in her ear is what manages to calm her down.

 _Edward,_ she remembers. _He's here. He stayed over after the movie last night._

A tentative hand comes to rest on her arm, it's heat searing through her body and pushing away the memories of those cold clammy hands from long ago. "Bella?" Edward calls her name again. "You awake?"

Slowly, she turns her head to find his eyes boring down into hers, worry lines marring his forehead.

"It was a bad dream," she says, more to herself than to him. "Just a bad dream."

Something in her face seems to let him know about her vulnerability at that moment. He moves to place a kiss on her temple. "I'm here with you." Those words are exactly what she needs. Instead of pushing her to talk, he just lets her know that she's not alone and that makes her fall just a little more for this man.

A sudden need to share her life with him encompasses her and before the walls around her heart can make her stop, she starts talking. "It wasn't a dream exactly. Just a bad memory," she says, her eyes focused unseeingly on a point over his shoulder.

"Bella, you don't have to tell me ..." he starts, but she shakes her head.

"This is part of who I am, and you need to know it to understand why I am the way I am."

"Okay."

After his acquiescence, she starts speaking, trying to keep herself aloof from all those emotions. "Jacob Black used to be my dad's friend. I used to call him Uncle Jake. After dad died, mom couldn't stand to be in the house alone. She got under severe depression. So I quit college and came home to be with her. One day, mom was at the ballet academy where she taught a course when Black came over. I trusted him because he was my dad's best friend, you know? So I let him in. But then he started to come onto me."

"Fuck!"

She ignores his soft cursing and continues, desperate to get the words out. "I tried to push him away and that just made him more mad. He … he hit me. And it hurt so much," she stops talking, bile rising to her throat.

"Shit! Baby!" Edward's hands squeeze hers, grounding her. "Did he …?"

At his unspoken question, she shakes her head, carefully extracting herself from his arms, needing the distance. "No, he didn't get the chance. My mom came home to find him before ..." she swallows thickly. "... before he could hurt me _more_. She pulled him off of me and then threw him out the door. I remember her sobbing before everything turned black."

For a moment, there is silence in the room. A part of her wonders if he'll be repelled by her now that he knew the truth. Another part—a much bigger part—knew that her Edward isn't conceited like that. So taking a deep breath to keep the panic at bay, she calls his name. "Edward?"

"Is he alive?"

His question confuses her. "I don't know. Mom moved us here after that and then she fell sick and I never felt like finding out. Why?"

"Because I'm going to kill that bastard for hurting my girl," he says, his voice completely serious.

"Your girl?" she repeats, her heart soaring at the thought.

He nods, his eyes finding hers. "Yes, _you_ are my girl. Just mine. And anyone who hurts my girl has to answer to me."

"Then you're not disgusted by me?" she hates how insecure she sounds, but he dashes it away immediately. "Disgusted? Bella, I'm in awe of you. Your bravery, your strength, the purity of your heart … I'm in love with it. I'm in love with _you_."

She feels her eyes fill with tears at his declaration. "You love _me_?"

He reaches for her hand, bringing it to his lips. "With every cell of my being. I admire you. I adore you, and yes, I love you, Isabella Swan."

She wraps her free hand around his neck and pulls him down to her, bringing their lips together and kisses him passionately. "Love me, Edward," she whispers against his lips. "Take away his touch from my body and make me yours. Please."

He lifts his head to look at her for a moment. Whatever he sees seems to ignite a fire within him. He kisses her again before moving to kiss every bit of her skin he can reach. Soon his lips and hands are everywhere on her body, awakening her in a way she never had before. She feels his lips caress the mark on her thigh, kissing it, taking away the pain and leaving only pleasure.

When he finally enters her, bringing them together for the first time, Isabella feels his soul touch hers. He loves her slowly, reverently, erasing every bad memory and replacing it with sweet ones. When she falls apart in his arms, she realizes that she was wrong. She's not been falling for Edward, no, she's already in love with this man.

As the waves of pleasure ebb, she opens her eyes. With a smile on her face, she tells him, "I love you, Edward Cullen. You made me whole again."

* * *

 **A/N: Only the Epi left now. Share your thoughts with me and leave a review?**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Granma Dee, hope you're ready for that HEA.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	9. Epilogue: Home Is Where The Heart Is

**A/N: This is where it all lead to … the end of the journey. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Epilogue: Home Is Where The Heart Is**

* * *

 _Three Years Later_

* * *

She looks from afar as he smiles to himself, his hand holding a hammer. With his toolbelt hanging low on his hips over the ripped jeans, her shirtless husband looks nothing like the famous actor and now movie director. Instead, he looks like a father eagerly awaiting his child's birth.

Her hand drops to her bulging stomach. "See that, baby girl?" she whispers to her unborn child. "Your daddy cannot wait for you to be here. He loves you very much."

"Just as he loves your mommy … just in a very different way," a voice whispers in her ear, making her gasp. Looking up, she finds that her husband had somehow managed to come up behind her unnoticed. She feels her lips pull up into a smile so big her cheeks hurt.

"The nursery looks good," she praises, nodding her head toward the crib he spent all day in assembling.

Edward puffs out his chest at her words. "Only the best for my baby girl."

She lifts her face up in a silent plea for a kiss. When he grants her wish, she presents him with a smile in return. "Our daughter is going to have the best father in the world."

He shakes his head, his arms coming up to hug her from behind, encompassing both her and their unborn child in one massive hug. "She's going to have the best _parents_ in the world."

As if in response to his words, she feels the child move inside her. They both let out chuckles of delight. "She's always dancing around in there," Isabella says. "She's going to be such a happy child!"

She feels his lips skim her cheek. "That is our present to her," he says softly, his hands rubbing soothing circles on her arms. "A home filled with love and laughter."

At his words, she's reminded of how this man has changed her life in the last three years. After finding out about her past, he didn't push her away like she feared he would. No, instead, he had made it his life's mission to find and punish the animal that caused her so much grief. When they had found out that Jacob Black had died from cancer years before, he had hugged her close and let her cry tears of relief that the dark shadow that used to dwell on her life was finally gone.

In the following three years, he has managed to shower her with so much love that all the hurt from her life has been left far behind. Turning in his arms, she wraps her arms around his neck and murmurs against his skin, "I love you."

The smile is evident in his voice as he answers, "I know. You tell me everyday."

She pulls back to see the slightly crooked smile she first fell in love with gracing his full lips. Unable to hold herself back, she kisses his smile. "That's because I fall more in love with you everyday," she tells him after a heartbeat.

His cocky smile is replaced by one that makes the sides of his eyes crinkle as he responds, "And I you, Bella. And I don't plan on stopping … ever."

Her eyes flutter closed at that because she believes him.

Life had dealt her a lot of pain, but it also had brought her to a man who loved her more than himself … life had brought her _home_.

* * *

 **A/N: … And that's a wrap, people. Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Granma Dee, I hope you liked your pressie. Love you.**

 **Another quick journey will be starting tomorrow with my Autumn fic, Sprinkle of Sunlight. So see you there. ;)**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


End file.
